aef TV – Christopher Chijiutomi, MD, Head of Infra Equity, Africa – British International Investment

More than 33 ministers and 100 high-level public sector officials from across Africa will travel to Spain for the 26th edition of the Africa Energy Forum (aef), 25-28 June, at the Fira de Montjuïc, Barcelona.   With Spain’s commitment of $2.3 billion in funding to South Africa and its recently announced support for green hydrogen […]

In the realm of energy infrastructure, Africa stands at a pivotal juncture. The continent, with its ever-expanding population and growing economy, faces a pressing need for reliable and sustainable energy sources. To give a deeper understanding of the present condition of utilities in Africa, as of 2022, an estimated 600 million people, or about 43% […]

Some large renewable energy projects are coming to fruition, even if the investment climate for African renewables remains fragile, reports Ian Lewis The case for developing Africa’s copious renewable energy resources to overcome the continent’s huge power deficit has always been strong. It’s a case that has become all the more compelling given the intensifying […]

There are signs of post-pandemic recovery for Africa’s offgrid solar industry. Now it needs to lure back the investors. Africa’s offgrid solar power industry is growing but is in urgent need of further support, as the sector struggles to shake off the negative impact of the Covid pandemic on providers of equipment and services, and […]

Africa's industrial future will be decided less by what lies under the ground than by what is built above it. At the Africa Energy Forum, John Giordano, US Ambassador to the Republic of Namibia, made the case that industrialisation is a connectivity story, and that investment follows once a country shows it is stable and governed by the rule of law.

Closing Africa's infrastructure investment deficit will take more than financing new projects. Speaking to ENN at AEF, Ziyaad Sarang of Investec and Revego Fund Managers makes the case for the secondary market, where owning operating renewable assets lets developers recycle their capital into the next wave, and explains why institutional investors are backing African renewables in a way they weren't a decade ago.

Four bids totalling around 2,800MW were submitted against a 2,000MW target when the window closed on 29 May. IPP Office head Precious Edward has said the programme remains on the timeline communicated to the market, which put preferred bidders roughly three months after close.

Camco built REPP 2 expecting commercial investors in the debt tranche and development finance institutions in the equity. Speaking to ENN, Fund Director Benjamin Hugues says the opposite happened within the equity, and puts it down to defence spending shrinking the development finance available and Western governments choosing returnable capital over grants.